NYC
by Adventurer411
Summary: On Haitus, then will be majorly revamped.
1. Good News

Gosh, I feel so guilty uploading this. But it's been sitting in my documents forever, and I can't keep it there. Also, I wanted feedback :P

* * *

"I haff tol you," Odd said, words muffled by his full mouth, "tha I am fot scrawny!"

Ulrich winced, making a face. "What did we tell you? Chew, swallow, and _then _talk."

The gang was currently at supper, and Odd was once again wolfing down his food. The argument started with one, simple word…

_With so much he eats, I can't believe he's so __**scrawny**__..._

Ulrich was the one who had commented, and he was now regretting his previous statement.

Odd chewed, swallowed and repeated. "I have told you that I am not scrawny!"

"Well, you are pretty small," Jeremy said, stabbing a piece of meat (or as they liked to call it, 'unknown substance') on his tray. Odd pouted, taking a bite of his mashed potatoes.

"Well," Star defended, "he _has _gotten… er, bigger, since last year." She poked the unknown substance on her tray with a fork, and seemingly deciding it was unappetizing, put her fork down without eating any.

"No he hasn't," Jeremy snorted.

"So, what? You're on his side now?" Colton asked in an accusing tone, tilting his head.

" 'Course," Star answered with a smile as she stirred her mash potatoes.

"That's my girl!" Odd grinned triumphantly, placing a kiss on her cheek. Cheeks flushing, Star grinned, looking satisfied with herself.

"So _that's _why you're on his side," Colton snickered. Star's blush darkened to red.

"Traitor," Ulrich said, glaring playfully. Star shoved Ulrich lightly, smiling.

"Oh my gosh!" Colton said, eyes widening.

"What?" Star asked as everyone turned their attention to him.

"My… my mashed potatoes—" he poked them with a fork, "—I think… I think they're alive!"

Odd and Ulrich gave a small laugh while Star let out a giggle, and Jeremy rolled is eyes. Then he turned to Aelita, who was staring down at her food with an uninterested expression— almost a sad one. Jeremy frowned.

"You haven't said a word all supper… Is everything okay, Aelita?" the bespectacled blond asked, worry lacing itself into his speech.

Aelita shrugged her shoulders halfheartedly, as if not wanting to tell the truth but not having the strength to lie either. "Summer vacation is in two days."

Odd pumped a fist in the air, giving a wide grin. "I know! Isn't it awesome? I totally can't wait until school is over!" He let out a loud whoop, attracting some stares from other tables.

"Well, I can wait. In fact, I can wait a long while," Aelita sighed quietly, staring down at her food again. Odd's grin disappeared.

"What's up, princess? Aren't you excited for summer vacation? Won't it be fun?"

Aelita looked back up at them, wearing an almost bitter smile. "If your idea of fun is spending three months alone in a dorm, away from all of your friends—" She looked at each of them in turn, "—then yes, for me, summer vacation will be a total blast!" The pinkette gave a small, hallow laugh before her smiled disappeared and she sighed.

Jeremy felt a shard pierce his heart. She was right. He, nor the others, would get to see her for about three months. This notion made his stomach churn.

"I guess we've never really thought about it," Ulrich frowned, putting his thumb to his lip. Aelita gave a half nod while Jeremy's hands curled into fists under the table. He couldn't take this.

"I'm staying here," the blond announced. "I'll be staying at the dorms for summer."

"No," Aelita responded firmly, surprising him.

"But you'll be—"

"But nothing. You should spend time with your family during summer," Aelita insisted.

"Well, I could visit," Jeremy protested. "I'll just stay at the dorms most of the time and—"

"No!" Aelita said. Her tone was so strong that Jeremy closed his mouth. The pinkette's expression softened.

"I understand you want to do this for me, but I can't have you not spending time with your family because of me, okay?" she asked, reaching under the table—and away from curious stares—to grab his hand. Jeremy bit his lip, looking hesitant, but slowly nodded.

"Well, we've got to do something," Ulrich said. "We won't just leave you here alone."

"Yeah!" Odd said, stuffing some mashed potatoes into his mouth. "You'll fust haff to come wif one of ush."

"_Chew, swallow, then talk,_" Ulrich urged, putting his hands up. Odd did just that before repeating his earlier statement.

Jeremy brightened. "You're right."

Then he turned his attention to Aelita. "You know, you could always come with me. I know you'd still be away from everyone else, but it would be better than being her alone. You've already been for Christmas, and you know that my parents love you like a daughter. I'd really love—I mean, I'm sure they'd love having you over." By the end he was out of breath, red-faced, and staring at his lap. Aelita smiled.

"That's really sweet of you, but I don't want to interrupt your family time. Besides, I wouldn't want to spend so much time away from my guardians." She looked at the others.

"_HEY, SOMEONE'S CALLING!"_

Everyone jumped at the sudden voice. "What in the world?" Colton asked.

"_HEY, SOMEONE'S CALLING!"_

Star blushed and fished in her pocket. "Ah, that's… that's my ring tone."

"_HEY, SOMEONE'S CALLING! HEY, SOMEONE'S CALLING!"_

Glaring at the phone, she pressed a button and put it to her ear. "Hello? Oh, hey dad. Yeah, I'm having fun with my friends. Yes, I'm excited for summer break." Smiling, she held up a finder and stood, mouthing 'I'll be right back' before heading out of the cafeteria.

"How are you doing, dad?" Star asked as she pushed open the doors and leaned against the building.

"I'm good. How are you, honey?" her father replied cheerily.

"I'm great dad."

"That's good… Hey, we got your report card in the mail."

At this, Star stiffened. She had bombed last year, courtesy of Xana. The Einsteins were managing fine; Yumi was okay, while everyone else dragged in the dirt. It had been a wonder her and Ulrich had even passed last year. And now, her parents had gotten her report card from this year.

"It's wonderful!" her father exclaimed. Star almost dropped the phone.

"I'm sorry, I don't think I heard you correctly," she said numbly.

"You did wonderful!" her father repeated. "B in math, B in grammar, A in science, and a C in reading! Honestly, Star, I'm very proud."

Star said nothing, the phone trembling. Last year, she had gotten D's in both science in math, a D in reading, and a C in grammar.

"If there's anything we could do for you, just let us know honey. You've earned it."

Star bit her lip. "Well... I have this friend that has to stay at the dorms during summer. She's says it's okay, but I know she doesn't want to… Could you help, in some way?"

"Hm…" the line went silent as her father thought. "Well, we do have those six tickets to New York we won. Why don't you invite all of your friends to New York?"

For a moment, all Star could do was gape in shock. Good grades? Going on a trip to New York with her friends? What kind of upside down—albeit wonderful—world was this?

"But… You're going to just give it to us? You and mom have been talking about that trip for weeks!" she spluttered. "Besides, all we need is five tickets. Yumi and Ulrich are going to Japan."

"Like I said, you earned it— bringing up your grades so fast in just one year! We'll be busy around that time, anyway," her father responded. "As for that, we can just invite your cousin. I know she's been wanting to see New York."

Star shifted the phone on her ear. "Which cousin?"

"Jacqueline."

"Jacqueline… oh, you mean Jackie? That's great!" Star exclaimed earnestly. She wouldn't admit it, but despite her shyness, Jackie was her favorite cousin. She wasn't shy around Star, though. "I hope she can come."

"Me too, honey. It will be good for her to meet your friends."

Star nodded, but a frown creased her face at a newly found problem. "Dad… Where will we stay? We don't have enough money for a hotel room, much less any time we want to get food."

"The tickets take care of the hotel. Let us worry about the food, okay? I'll call your friends' parents tonight, and tell you if they can come tomorrow morning, alright?" her dad responded.

"Okay… thanks!" Star said numbly, resisting the urge to pinch her arm. This had to be a dream— a wonderful dream.

"You're welcome. Don't forget to tell your friends; the flight is in three days. Goodbye."

"Oh, yeah… bye dad."

Star heard a beep on the other side as her father hung up. For a moment, she just stared at the phone until what she'd been told was processed.

"New York… My friends and I…. are going to New York…" the blond said to herself. Then she whooped, pumping a fist into the air as Odd had done. The blond put her phone back in her pocket.

_I can't believe it! _She thought gleefully, preparing to go back into the cafeteria.

"What are _you _so happy about? I hope it's not that outfit," a familiar voice sniffed. Star turned around to see Sissi, who was standing with her hands on her hips and staring at her outfit in disdain. "Mine is so much better."

Star grinned, allowing the insult to fly over her head. "It does look pretty nice, Sissi. If you'll excuse me…" she turned around and walked back into the cafeteria, leaving Sissi standing there irritated and confused.

Trying but failing to wipe the smile off of her face, Star went back to the table.

"Hey' you're back!" Odd greeted. "We've decided that Aelita is going to stay at Jeremy's."

Jeremy nodded, looking happy. "I'll be calling my parents tomorrow to ask."

"Ah… you may not want to just yet," Star said vaguely, a grin growing on her face. She took a bite of her mashed potatoes, choking it down.

Everyone looked confused. "Why not?" Jeremy asked.

Star shrugged.

"You could. I mean, if you'd prefer doing that instead of going to New York," she said slyly.

Odd choked on whatever he was eating as the others looked at Star in surprise. "New… York?" he managed after sipping some water.

Star nodded, face full of excitement. "My dad says that we can go to New York!" she exclaimed. "Aelita won't have to stay here!"

Aelita's face lit up slightly, though she didn't dare get her hopes up. Jeremy turned to encyclopedia mode.

"New York is one of the biggest cities in the world, located in America. It hosts the Statue of Liberty, which came from us," he said, pushing his glasses farther up his nose with a finger. "It is a very popular tourist sight."

Ulrich rolled his eyes along with Colton, while Aelita looked interested. Odd stuck out his tongue and Star ruffled Jeremy's hair.

"Spare us the history lesson, huh Jeremy? You can talk more about it once we get there," she laughed. Jeremy frowned, reaching up his hands to fix his hair.

"Yeah… But exactly, _how _will we get there?" Colton asked. "New York is pretty far away, and if you haven't noticed, none of us have the money to fly there, or even take a boat."

Star considered it for a moment, then looked around the mostly empty cafeteria. "Why don't we continue this discussion later? None of us we'll have hot water for a shower if we wait too long to take it."

All around the table, heads were nodding in agreement.

Glancing at Jeremy, Star continued. "After showers, we'll meet back in Jeremy and Colton's room, okay?"

There were nods again. Almost as if rehearsed, everyone got up in sync and dumped their trays, heading out of the cafeteria.

* * *

"And my parents will get the food," Star finished, toweling off her still-wet hair. They were all in pajamas, sprawled around Jeremy's room.

"Wow," said Colton. "Remind us... How exactly did you get your parents to let you go to New York, much less bring us?"

Odd nodded in agreement, sprawling out on Colton's bed and putting his legs on Star. She grimaced, wrinkling her nose at the stink and pushing them down. "Mind your feet."

He childishly stuck his tongue out at her and sat upright again, leaning against the wall.

"Anyway," Star said, sending a glance at Odd, "my parents did it because of my grades. You know how I almost failed last year?"

"Along with me?" Ulrich guessed, raising a hand. Star nodded.

"Well, my grades this year are much better. Two A's, and the rest are B's," she said with a smile.

The others' eyes widened.

"How did you manage that? Don't tell me... You memorized the test answers?" Colton guessed with a joking grin. Star narrowed her eyes before turning her head sharply. Her wet hair flew around, smacking Colton in the face and emitting a loud slapping noise, much to the others' amusement.

"Nice," chuckled Ulrich. "That could come in handy."

Star smiled, running her fingers through her hair. "I knew I should've grown out my hair. It can substitute for a hand, sometimes," she giggled.

Colton huffed and moved away from her, rubbing his forehead and cheek. "So, topic of New York?"

Star nodded eagerly. "As I saying, I got the trip because of my grades. We'll be in New York for six whole weeks!"

Ulrich almost fell off the chair. "You guys will be-"

"-In New York-" Colton continued.

"-For six weeks?" asked Aelita, ending in a squeak.

Star nodded gleefully. She swung herself so that her feet and legs were against the wall, and her back was on the bed. "So, what do you guys think? The flight leaves in a few days. We'll be in the big apple!"

Ulrich grinned. "Oh, come on. Now you guys are starting to make me jealous. Yumi and I will be going to Japan for the summer, while you guys get to go to New York."

"Well," Colton said, smiling widely, "you shouldn't be too jealous. You'll have Yumi all to yourself for most of the vacation!" He made a kissy face.

A blush warmed Ulrich's face. "Jeremy, could I borrow a pillow?"

"Sure," Jeremy replied cheerily, leaning over Aelita to grab a pillow from his bed. He tossed it to Ulrich, who in turn started whacking Colton with it.

"Ouch," he winced. "I'll I'm saying is- ouch! I was just- ouch! I was just saying that you and Yumi- OUCH! Jeremy, why is your pillow so hard?"

"You seem to be getting hit a lot," Jeremy snickered.

"You will too, if you don't be quiet," Colton snapped, momentarily turning his attention to Jeremy.

"Hit Jeremy and Aelita will hit you too," Odd laughed, turning himself upside down so he was next to Star.

Aelita demonstrated the point by flicking Colton in the ear.

"Don't make me use my hair again," Star threatened. Everyone except Colton burst into giggles.

"Ha-ha. So, I'm guessing we should call our parents and ask if we can go?" he asked, scooting farther away from Star. She shook her head.

"My dad said that he'll do it tomorrow morning. We can only hope!" the girl crossed her fingers, smiling widely.

"What about me?" Aelita wondered.

Star frowned. "You're right... He won't be able to call because your parents are d-" She bit her tongue at Aelita's expression, swallowed her sentence, and tried again. "Anyway... Why don't I just call him tomorrow and say that your parents said you could?"

"That could work," Jeremy said. "If it doesn't, I could always use the voice synthesizer."

Aelita was already looking hopeful. She leaned her head on Jeremy's shoulder, causing him to blush. "I'm so excited!"

Colton raised a hand. "Sorry to put a damp around things, but if I'm correct, you need a passport to fly. Does Aelita have one?"

Aelita's face fell. All the planning, talking, and getting excited, and she wouldn't get to go because of a stupid passport.

"She does, actually," Jeremy said with a smile. Aelita's head shot up in surprise, and Jeremy used that moment to get up and go to a drawer. He produced a key and unlocked it before going back over to Aelita.

"Don't look at me like that. Whenever I forged Aelita's ID and other things, I thought she might need this someday. I'm glad I made one." He brandished the embossed paper. Then he settled in his place by Aelita.

There was a gasp on the other side of the door, and everyone froze. Jeremy shoved the passport under the pillow. Star and Odd righted themselves again. Colton unfroze, jumped up, and opened the door.

On the other side, Sissi was standing there in her pajamas, looking confused and holding a recorder. Then her expression changed to a devilish grin, and she clicked something on the recorder.

"You _forged _an ID? And a passport? And _more things?_" she asked gleefully. "I knew there was something up with you guys! I'm going tell daddy!" she exclaimed before disappearing from the doorway.


	2. Truth or Dare

Oh, I almost forgot- Here's some background on Star and Colton:

Star Chen: Long blond hair with a lock that hides the right side of her face. That lock is dyed lime green, which is her favorite color. She's pretty good in PE, but not in academics, though clever in some situations. She's nice, defiant when she needs to be, tall as Ulrich, and fun. Star's also head over heels for Odd... Or so she thought.

Colton Matson: My friend's Oc. He has red, short hair, and is almost as tall as Yumi. He's okay in academics, but super in PE. He _was _head over heels for a new girl, Rebeca. Now he's not so sure.

More about these two can be found in my other story, New Additions. (co-written)

* * *

For a moment, everyone stood still, unsure of what to do. Odd was the first one to come out of the stupor.

"Get that tape!" he yelled. Everyone scrambled up. Colton ran out the door, followed by Odd, Jeremy, and then Aelita. No one noticed Star stand slowly, staring at the window.

She walked over to it and pulled it open, wind blowing back her hair. The girl looked at the small twenty-foot drop below. Through the darkness, she could make out a large clump of bushes. "Man, I can't believe I'm doing this. Aelita, you owe me."

In short order, Star was dangling from the ledge right below the window. Grimacing as she felt the rough cement rub against her soft palms, she shivered even as a warm wind chilled her already wet hair.

_Okay, okay... it's not that far below me. I need to get to the principal's office before Sissi, or we're in big trouble._

Star counted to three and forced herself to let go, unable to suppress a small yelp as she did so. Heart speeding up, she free-fell through the air for about two seconds before crashing into the bushes.

"Ouch... Aelita, you so owe me..." she moaned, pushing herself up and trying to ignore the scratches on her bare arms and legs. Running off, she narrowed her eyes intently on the door to the office. Panting, Star braved a glance backward and saw Sissi running out of the building.

The blond haired girl pressed herself against the building, using its shadow as cover. In the dark night, she was impossible to see unless she moved.

"I've got those losers now!" Sissi laughed gleefully as she neared the building. Star stepped out of her hiding place and into the light just as Sissi ran by, her expression briefly showing surprise before they collided.

Forehead hit forehead, body hit body.

"Ouch!" they each yelled simultaneously, the force of Sissi's run knocking them both on the ground. Star's glass spun through the air, and Sissi's tape spun out of her hand.

"My glasses!"

"My tape!"

Instead of going for her glasses, Star turned her head toward Sissi's direction and found a black blur that she assumed to be the tape. She scrambled up, stumbling blindly for the tape. A sharp yank on her ankle brought the girl down hard on the cement, causing her to let out a hiss of pain.

Sissi scrambled ahead of her and snatched the tape. Star pulled herself up, ignoring the throbbing in her elbows and grabbed the tape.

"Let go!" Sissi snarled as she yanked the blur toward her.

Star held on tightly. "Think again, tramp."

She yanked the blur back. Sissi's face contorted into anger- well, Star was pretty sure it did, but was unable to tell for sure without her glasses on- and she pulled the tap harder, taking a step backwards. Sissi tripped and brought Star down with her. Soon, both girls were scrabbling on the ground for the tape.

"You'd better stop or I'll tell daddy! Give me the tape, loser!" Sissi snarled.

"Take a long walk off of a short cliff," Star spat back. She reached for the tape and yelped as her finger was bent backwards, shaking it vigorously. Then she slapped the tape out of Sissi's hand. It slid off, into the darkness.

"Great," Star hissed to herself, looking around for her glasses. She would never be able to find the tape in the blackness without it.

"I got the tape!" was the triumphant shout. Star tensed, a pit forming in her stomach. Then she replayed it in her mind, listening closer to the sound. It wasn't Sissi's voice.

"No! Give that back!" This time, it was Sissi.

"Not a chance!" Jeremy responded. Star looked up to see the blurry shapes of the others. Jeremy handed Ulrich the tape, who smashed it on the wall before dumping the remnants in the trashcan.

"Ooh! You just wait! I'll tell daddy and get you all expelled!" Sissi hissed, clenching her fists. She glared at them with narrowed eyes. "I know there's something weird going on. I just know it. I'll figure it out and get you all expelled." Then she whipped around and stormed off toward the direction of the dorms, hair flapping behind her.

"You okay, Star?" Odd asked. Star turned her head to see Odd's blurry shape peering down at her.

"Yeah, I'm fine. Do you know where my glasses are?"

"Problem solved," Odd responded as he slid them onto her face, his grin coming into focus in front of her. Star couldn't help but smile back as she was helped up.

"Well, that went well," Colton said. "So, Star. Care to tell us how you got out here faster than us? And... you have a leaf in your hair."

A few of the others laughed as she crossed her eyes, looking up at her air. She snatched the leaf out of her hair and flicked it away. "I used the window."

Colton blinked. "The window? But isn't there a one story drop below?"

"They have bushes. Hey, I stopped Sissi from getting the tape to her dad. The details don't matter," Star said, waving her hand. With some shrugs and nods, the group made their way to the dorms.

"So... curfew isn't for a while. I don't know about you guys, but I'll be bored," Colton said as they stopped at the stairs. "Exams are over. Summer is in a few days... What do you want to do?"

They all unconsciously went to Jeremy's room and made themselves comfortable.

"What about Truth or Dare?" Star suggested, making herself upside down again. Odd joined her.

"No!_"_ Aelita, Jeremy and Ulrich all exclaimed simultaneously. Colton and Star blinked.

"Why not?" he asked.

"We got in trouble..." Aelita trailed off.

"Big trouble," Jeremy added.

"-For playing," Ulrich finished, twirling one of Jeremy's pencils in his hand.

"So, you can't play Truth or Dare here?" Star asked in confusion. "It's... against the rules?"

Jeremy shook his head, shifting on his bed. "Well, no... but last time we played, we did do some things that _were _against the rules..."

"Like what?" Colton wondered.

All three blushed, and Odd rubbed his cheek.

"Anyways," Odd said, putting his hands behind his head in a gesture of relaxation, "I really want to play. And besides, they haven't played with us-"

"They don't want to," Jeremy snorted.

Star blew her bangs away but they stayed in her face, responding to gravity. "I'm interested," she offered.

"Me too," Colton piped up.

"Please?" Odd asked, putting his hands together and jutting out his lower lip. "We'll keep it to minimum. Please?"

Jeremy sighed, looking at the girl next to him. "What do you say, Aelita?"

Aelita tugged on her oversize t-shirt. "I guess it's okay, as long as we don't do anything bad."

"What do you mean by... _bad_?" Colton asked, the corners of his lips curling up in a smirk.

"Don't smile like that. And by bad, I mean anything majorly against the rules," Aelita clarified, arranging herself so she could comfortably lean her head on Jeremy's shoulder.

"I want to go first!" Odd said eagerly. "Colton, truth or dare?"

"Dare," said Colton bravely. He regretted it as Odd smiled impishly.

"I dare you to stand on your head and sing the ABC's backwards," he grinned. Noticing Colton's look, he added, "And no matter how stupid, you have to do it. It's a dare. And if you can't stand on your head alone, use the wall."

Everyone held back laughter as Colton sighed, propping himself up against the wall. His shirt fell in his face as he started to sing.

"Z, Y, X, W, V, U, T, S... uh... R."

Odd burst into laughter along with everyone else as Colton flushed.

"Q, P, O, N, uh... M... C, B, A," he finished quickly, dropping to the floor.

"That was interesting," Aelita giggled. Jeremy nodded, still grinning.

"You sang it wro-"

"I don't care," Colton snapped, face red.

"Someone's cranky," Odd said, wrinkling his nose. Colton threw a pillow at him.

"Star, truth or dare?"

"Dare," Star said carelessly.

Colton put a finger on his lips as he considered it. Then his face lit up. "I dare you to switch colors with Odd for a week, starting the first day we're in New York!"

Star blinked, sitting right-side up. "What does that mean?"

"You wear purple and Odd wears lime green," Colton said simply. "That includes the dye in your hair."

Both reached up subconsciously to feel their hair.

"But purple isn't my color!" Star frowned. "That's why I wear lime green. Lime green is my color." She pointedly tugged on the middle of her shirt, which contained a lime green star that had been painted on by herself. "And purple is Odd's color."

"Which is why I'm making you do it," Colton said. "Star, you have to wear purple and dye your hair purple-" he glanced at her, "and Odd, you have to dye your hair lime green and wear green clothes."

He finished with a satisfied smile, looking at Odd.

"But-" Odd tried.

"No buts," Colton said cheerfully. "It's a dare, so you have to do it."

Odd muttered something incomprehensible. While Star grabbed the strand of hair with the dye in it.

"So, Aelita," Star smiled, "truth or dare?"

"With the dares that have been going on," Aelita laughed, "I'm going to pick truth."

"Do you love anyone in this room?" Colton asked, already anticipating a yes. He got up from the floor and sat next to Star, not wanting to be on the floor.

Blushing but smiling, Aelita turned her attention to Jeremy then back to her lap so quickly Colton thought he might have imagined it.

"Yes," she said. "I do love someone."

Jeremy blushed lightly.

"Well, me and Ulrich are off limits," Odd joked, "so it's between Jeremy and Colton!"

"Odd," Aelita warned, blush getting darker as she pointedly kept her gaze away from Jeremy.

"Okay, okay," Odd relented, waving a hand. "Just ask someone already."

"Ulrich, truth or dare?" Aelita asked, face still flushed.

"Uh..." Ulrich didn't want to do something embarrassing, but he sure didn't want any questions about his love life.

"Um... Da-truth!"

Aelita smiled. "What do you like best about Yumi?"

Ulrich reddened as the others grinned. "Uh, like... like best? About Yumi?"

"That's what I said," Aelita responded, smiling innocently.

"I like... uh..."

_Well, I like how she fights, I like how beautiful she is, I like how she can cheer someone up... But I can't tell them any of that!_

"Come on Romeo," Odd said, snapping his fingers. "You can swoon over Yumi later. We're waiting for you answer."

"Yeah, right..." Ulrich said, feeling a surge of heat in his cheeks. "What I like best... is Yumi's determination. It get's her in trouble sometimes because she's stubborn, but it also helps if she has to finish a project, or if we're in the middle of a Xana attack... Anyway, Jeremy. Truth or dare?" he finished, it all spilling out in a rush.

"Dare," said Jeremy, regretting the word as soon as it came out of his mouth.

"I dare you to kiss Aelita," Ulrich said bluntly.

Both Jeremy and Aelita blushed, Jeremy even more so. Jeremy looked at Aelita with a small smile. Aelita returned the smile, flicking her eyes to her lap.

_This is no time to be bashful, _Aelita's mind chided herself. She looked back up into Jeremy's eyes and leaned forward, closing the short distance between them and pressing her lips to his.

Jeremy's eyes widened as he fought the instinct to spring back, forcing himself to relax. He found himself drawn into the kiss and momentarily forgot about the others, closing his eyes. One of Aelita's hands dropped to Jeremy's shoulder. Five seconds passed, then ten.

Odd grabbed Jeremy's phone off of his desk and aimed a picture. Colton gave a small cough.

Neither heard. A few more seconds passed.

Colton gave a loud, fake-sounding cough as Odd clicked the picture and sent it to himself, Star, Ulrich, Yumi, Colton, and Aelita.

That's when Jeremy sprung back, looking embarrassed. At Jeremy's blush, Aelita couldn't help but blush too.

"Uh, Colton... truth or dare?"

Colton bit his lip. He wasn't into kissing anyone, especially since they all had someone who they already liked. "Truth."

Jeremy thought for a moment. "Do you like anyone, or used to? Besides Rebeca, I mean... No, don't look look at me like that. Star wasn't the only one who knew."

Colton flushed as everyone looked at him.

"Well?" Odd wondered.

"Honestly?" Colton asked. "I used to... uh..." the rest of it was lost in a mumble.

"Would you speak a little louder?" Odd asked gleefully, obviously enjoying it too much. Colton ignored him but repeated his previous statement.

"I used to... I, uh..." he blushed harder and found something interesting about the hem of his shirt.

"Don't be shy," Star teased, poking him gently.

He seemed to shy away from her touch. "I used to have a crush on... I used to like Star," Colton said finally, not looking at the girl next to him. That girl blushed, partly out of embarrassment and partly because of the small crush she used to have on him. Of course, that was before she had met Odd.

"Really?" asked Aelita in surprise, shifting position so that she was sitting cross-legged.

Colton nodded, cheeks turning darker to match his hair. "It was when we first met," he admitted, sneaking a glance at Star. "Odd, don't look so jealous. It's not like I still have a crush on her."

Odd blinked. "I never said that."

"You were clenching your fists."

"No I wasn't," Odd said, simultaneously opening his fists.

"I could see it in your expression," Colton sighed in exasperation. "Aelita, truth or dare?"

Aelita bit her lip and blushed, looking uneasy, rather than embarrassed as the others had expected. "My... My first kiss?"

"Yeah," Colton said, sounding slightly confused. "I mean... _Did _you have a first kiss?"

Aelita nodded.

"Well, who was it?"

Aelita looked at her lap and spoke in a quiet voice. "His name... is Mathew."

Feeling a small twist in her stomach, Aelita didn't dare look at Jeremy, nor the others surprised expressions.

"Are you talking about Mathew Sar? When did you ever talk to him?" Star asked, sounding confused as she tucked a strand of hair behind her ear.

"No, it's not that..." Aelita sighed, shaking her head. "It was before I was trapped in Lyoko. I was alone most of the time, but that didn't mean I had no friends _at all._"

She twirled a lock of her hair and stared at her lap, almost looking guilty. "Mathew was one of my very few friends. We spent a lot of time together, and eventually... We kissed. _Once_," she emphasized.

"Friend?" asked Jeremy in a slightly sharp voice. "It sounds more like boyfriend to me."

"Chill, Jeremy," Colton said. He was ignored.

Aelita turned her head toward Jeremy, expression slightly angry. "That's your assumption."

"It sounds like a pretty correct assumption," Jeremy said, eyes narrowing.

"Sounds?" Aelita asked, irritation audible in her voice. "You don't know the truth."

"I don't have to."

"Jeremy, Mathew is over twenty years old now!" she exclaimed indignantly. "I have no idea where he is right now!"

"He was your age," Jeremy said stubbornly, "eleven years ago."

Aelita glared at him. "That was then, this is now!" she said, almost yelling. "It was the past, Jeremy! Besides, I don't like him-" the pinkette stopped herself from adding, _because I like you. _

"Why don't we just forget about it?" Star asked tentatively.

"Stay out of it!" Jeremy and Aelita snapped in unison, glancing at her before looking back to each other.

"You know what?" she asked in an obviously irritated voice, waving her hands, "be like that. I don't care. I'm going to bed."

The pinkette got up and stormed out of the room, not glancing back as she slammed the door. Everyone except Jeremy winced.

"That wasn't real smart, Jeremy," Ulrich said, shaking his head. "Be logical."

"I am being logical," Jeremy protested, folding his arms.

"I don't think so," Star said as she started climbing out of Colton's bed. "Aelita said they only kissed once. And how long ago was that? Eleven years." She sat down next to Jeremy, neatly folding her legs beneath her.

"But-"

"Nope," Star interrupted, putting a finger to Jeremy's lips. She removed it, then leaned in and spoke in a low tone that only he could hear.

"I know you like her, but that's no excuse to go berserk when she says she kissed someone else. That was a long time ago, okay?"

Jeremy wordlessly blushed a dark red, looking down at his lap in embarrassment.

"Get it out of your thick blond head that she doesn't like you," Star said slowly. "And use that brain of yours to form a good apology."

Jeremy looked up slowly and blinked for a moment before nodding. Not looking at the others, he got up and walked out the door. They blinked at Star.

"You're magic!" Odd said.

"Man, what did you say to him?" Colton asked.

Star smiled. "Only the truth."

* * *

ooh, sorry the updates are coming so slow.


	3. Truth or Dare, part 2

Aelita slammed the door to the room she shared with Star, silently fuming as she sat on the bed. She picked up her cherished childhood doll, otherwise known as Mister Puck, and rubbed a thumb over his face. She always did that when something was troubling her or was thinking. It was an old habit.

_Why does Jeremy have to be so difficult? The kiss was over a decade ago... literally!_

Aelita shook her head. At least he was getting jealous. That meant he liked her, right? Why else would he get jealous...?

The anger drained from Aelita's eyes. A sigh escaped the pinkette.

"Do you really think he likes me?" she quietly asked the doll, gently pushing the tiny hair back with a finger. Of course, he didn't respond, blink, or even move.

"Do you?" she asked again, staring at the face intently. The elf remained the expressionless, inanimate object it was.

"If only you knew more about romance..."

Laughing slightly for talking to a doll, Aelita gently set him on the bed, hugging her pillow.

_Do I really want to fight with him?_

Before Aelita had even thought about it, she already knew the answer. No, she didn't want to. With another sigh, she leaned against the wall and put down the pillow as a knock on her door sounded. She knew who it was before they spoke.

"Aelita?"

Who else would it be besides Jeremy? Aelita felt a small spark of anger return and she opened her mouth to tell him to go away. Then she closed it. No, that wouldn't solve anything. What could she say?

The knock sounded again. "Aelita, are you okay?"

At least he was worried. Aelita blinked for a moment, trying to think of what to answer. She wanted him to know that he had acted irrationally, but she didn't want him to think she was furious.

"What?" she asked in an expressionless voice, resisting a flinch.

Oh, right: 'what'. That brilliant answer.

"Can I talk to you?"

He wanted to talk. Of course, he wouldn't want to unless he was apologizing. Right?

"The door's open," Aelita replied, grabbing a book off of her desktop and opening to a random page to pretend that she hadn't been waiting for him.

Jeremy came in. Aelita closed the book, setting it back on her desktop.

She studied his expression. It seemed to be composed of mostly guilt and remorse, while she thought she might have caught a little jealousy still in there.

"Aelita, I'm really sorry," he said, scratching the back of his head in habit. "Whenever you said you had kissed someone else, I sort of flew off the handle... It wasn't right... I mean, the kiss _was_ a long time ago."

"And meaningless," Aelita clarified. _Anyway, I would have much rathered kissing you..._

"And meaningless," Jeremy repeated. "I really shouldn't have gotten so jealous just because I... I, uh, because I..." he trailed off, a dark blush rising to his cheeks and looking at the floor. "Because I like you."

Aelita almost laughed with happiness as she basically tackled him in a hug. "It's okay. Everything's great!" she said, unable to hold back a blush as she saw how much Jeremy was blushing.

He blinked in surprise, smiling nonetheless. "O-Okay."

"Would you like to go back down with the others?" Aelita asked, pulling back from the hug but still wanting a kiss.

"Why not?" Jeremy asked with a smile.

* * *

"Ulrich, truth or dare?"

"Dare."

"Hm... I dare you..." Star's face lit up with a grin. "I dare you to-"

The game was interrupted as Aelita and Jeremy walked through t he door.

"Got it all worked out, lovebirds?" Odd asked.

Jeremy blushed while Aelita nodded. "Everything's fine." She sat down with Jeremy on his bed.

Star grinned. "You're just in time to witness Ulrich's dare!"

"Which is...?" asked Ulrich in a slightly fearful tone.

Although it didn't seem possible, Star's grin got bigger. "I dare you to go up to Yumi when you see her, first thing next morning, and..." She got up from the bed and whispered in Ulrich's ear, then resumed her spot by Odd and Colton.

"Dude, you look like a strawberry," Odd commented with a laugh.

Ulrich's entire face was red. "You've got to be kidding, Star. I am _not _doing that."

Star burst into giggles. "But you have to! It's a dare!" she managed between laughter, while everyone else stared at her like she was crazy.

"What's the dare?" Colton asked.

"It's embarrassing," Ulrich grumbled, looking at his lap.

"You'll see tomorrow morning," Star giggled. "Go on, Ulrich. It's your turn."

"Uh..." He looked around at the faces. Deciding to go for some revenge, he looked at Colton.

"Truth or dare?"

"Dare," Colton said bravely.

Ulrich smirked. "I dare you to kiss Star."

Colton's mouth opened slightly as he blushed darkly, blinking in confusion as his heart started to race. "B-But... I, uh... you know, I... c-can't."

_Why am I so flustered? _he thought.

"Wh-Why not?" Ulrich asked, mimicking Colton's stammer perfectly.

"Well, because, you know..." Colton mumbled, struggling to find a legitimate answer. For some reason, he felt extremely nervous about kissing Star and tried to grasp any excuse not to do so. "B-Because... I, uh... She has a boyfriend." He stared at his lap, not daring to look at Star, who was also blushing.

"I-It's a dare," Ulrich said as he mimicked Colton's stammer again.

"Ulrich, I think that's enough," Aelita said. "Colton's right- Star already has a boyfriend. It's like that with you and Yumi."

"But she's not my-"

"Well, would you like it if I dared you to kiss Sissi in front of Yumi? No," Aelita said, answering her own question.

"Okay, okay, fine," Ulrich muttered, flushing red. "Don't do the dare then."

Colton held in a sigh of relief. He swore he could hear his own heartbeat and blushed, hoping Star couldn't hear it.

_What's wrong with me? Why am I so worried about Star all of a sudden?  
_

"O-Okay. Um... Jeremy, truth or dare?"

"Uh..." Jeremy ran the pros and cons of each choice in his head. A dare would most likely be a kiss, or another act of romance toward Aelita. On the other hand, truth would probably be a question about his love life.

"Truth." Jeremy knew he was doomed whether he chose truth or dare. That's what was so dangerous about the game.

Colton gave a half smile, running over all the things in his head he could ask Jeremy. "What do you like best about Aelita?"

Jeremy turned his natural shade of crimson, mulling the things over in his head. She had so many great qualities... which should he pick? Her kindness, intelligence, beauty...?

"Uh... I like the way she can tell what I'm thinking," he admitted with a smile. "Sometimes it's really annoying, the way she reads my mind like that. But it's also really helpful. She can always help me with what I'm dealing with, no matter the problem, without me having to say a thing." He blushed, smiling at Aelita. She returned both the smile and the blush.

"Odd, truth or dare?"

"Uh... Dare."

"I dare you to tell Sissi you love Star," Jeremy said.

Odd flushed, blinking in surprise at the dare Jeremy had come up with. "Uh... okay." As Star blushed, he got up and walked out the door. His head popped back in.

"Aelita, truth or dare?"

"Truth."

"Would you like it if Jeremy asked you on a date?" he asked with a grin.

"Uh..." Aelita blushed, lacing her fingers together and staring at them. "I, uh, why do you want to know? I..." She gave one small nod of her head.

Jeremy glanced at Aelita then averted his gaze, a wave of heat rushing to his cheeks.

Odd pulled his phone out. "Can you repeat that, please? Instead of nodding, please say 'yes' loudly into the microphone."

"Say yes into the- no!" Aelita exclaimed, head shooting up as she glared at Odd. "Go do your dare!"

"Please?" Odd asked, brandishing the phone. He yelped pulled his head out, closing the door as a pillow hit the door with a soft thud. His muffled voice was heard on the other side of the door. "I guess that's a no."

Aelita huffed, setting down the other pillow she had in her hand. "Ulrich, truth or dare?"

Ulrich bit his lip. "Uh... dare- no! Truth," he said.

Aelita's lips curled up. "How long have you liked Yumi?"

"But, I don't like..." Ulrich reddened. By the looks on the others faces, he figured it would be futile to protest. "I've liked her since she joined the group... happy?"

"Yes," Aelita said, smiling. Then the door opened and Odd came in with a red mark on his cheek.

"That dare... was more painful than I thought it would be."

Everyone but Star burst into laughter.

"Okay," Ulrich said as he recovered from the laughter, "truth or dare, Jeremy?"

"Uh... truth," he answered, half afraid.

Ulrich spun the chair lazily, using the desk to push himself off. "When are you going to ask Aelita on a date?"

As expected, two crimson blotches appeared on Jeremy's cheeks. He nervously laced his fingers together. Oh, what could he say? He'd been gathering up the courage, but was afraid of rejection...? That could offend Aelita. Everything else that came to Jeremy's mind could too.

He took a deep breath and tried to answer, but as his mind drew a blank, all that came out was a half-stammered, half-mumbled, "U-Um..."

Ulrich raised an eyebrow at the answer, an amused smile on his face. _"Um?"_

More heat flushed Jeremy's cheeks. He wanted to get this over with. Still, there was the worry of how Aelita would react. "I, uh," he said, having trouble forcing the words out. Suddenly a weight dropped onto Jeremy's shoulder. It took a moment for him to figure out what it was. Aelita was asleep! What luck.

"Well, um, I guess we should, ah, st-stop the game now," Jeremy said hurriedly, stumbling over his words, "it's getting late, and Aelita's asleep. I-I'll go walk her to her room." He slowly got up as Aelita's head lifted from his shoulder. She yawned, rubbing her eyes. She blinked questioningly at Jeremy, but before she could say anything, he quickly said, "You fell asleep. Why don't I walk you to your room?"

Everyone in the room was watching, but no one said anything. Knowing this, Jeremy blushed even more as he walked with Aelita out of the room, hand in hand.

Star shook her head. "It would be just like Jeremy to dodge the question somehow," she sighed.

"Yeah," Ulrich yawned as he stretched. "Curfew is soon. Jim will blow his top if we're not in bed by then."

"Oh, yeah," Odd said, rubbing his shoulder. The others were confused, but Star snickered as she remembered what had happened last time. Trying to run down the halls in his socks wasn't a good idea to begin with, but when he had tried to turn, well... his shoulder met the wall. And it was not a fun encounter.

Odd, Ulrich, and Star left, eagerly awaiting the days ahead.

* * *

"Goodnight, Star," Aelita yawned as she rolled over, pulling the covers up to her shoulders.

"Goodnight," she responded, removing her glasses and clicking off the lamp and plunging the room into darkness. Then she lie down and suppressed a yelp, feeling something by her feet. Sitting back up and reaching toward the end of the bed, Star's hand closed around Mr. Puck.

"I think you're missing something," she whispered, voice easily heard in the quiet as she tossed the small doll toward Aelita's bed. A small thump sounded, followed by a sigh.

"Thanks."

"You're welcome."

Star lie on her back as she stared at the blurry ceiling, barely able to make it out by the pale moonlight. It shined into the room and washed over common items, making their shadows twisted and almost frightening. Rustling sounds were heard as Aelita tossed and turned, apparently unable to find a comfortable position.

Star was motionless, perfectly comfortable. Only excitement prevented her from going to sleep. The trip would be so much fun, she just knew it. They could walk around the huge city, fighting through the streams of people as they gazed at various building and browsed the shops. She knew what New York was going to be like and had seen many pictures, but everyone's experience was different.

"Star?"

Star turned her head and blinked. She could see Aelita's blurry face looking at her.

"Are you awake?" Aelita whispered hesitantly again.

"Yeah, why?"

"Well... I just have a question." She turned so she was looking at the ceiling, and Star did so as she had done earlier.

She waited for the question, interlacing her fingers and setting her hands on her stomach. Seconds passed. Aelita was motionless as she stared at the ceiling. Then more seconds passed, until it was almost a minute. When still no question was forthcoming, Star said, "Uh, are you going to ask that question?"

Aelita stirred slightly. "Yes, I'm sorry. What I wanted to know was why Jeremy was acting so weird earlier. I know I fell asleep, but I don't know what happened while I was asleep. When I woke up, he was stammering and blushing and everyone was staring at us. I-" she interrupted herself with a large yawn, then continued. "I thought I was seeing things because I was pretty tired, and I still am, but... his behavior... almost bothers me."

Star kept staring at the ceiling as the her brain took the information. It wasn't surprising, really. She had expected Jeremy to somehow weasel out of the question when confronted about his connection to Aelita, and especially in front of everyone. He was just counting himself lucky that she had fallen asleep.

Aelita was looking at her, waiting for an answer. Star thought about it for a moment, wondering how to explain it, then finally decided on, "Ah, that."

She had to literally stop herself from smacking her head. Yep, that was a real smart answer.

"Yes, that," Aelita said. "Why was he acting that way? Did something happen?"

She knew all too well how complicated their relationship was. Technically, they were friends, but would do well at boyfriend and girlfriend too. But when confronted, Jeremy would deny that he had any feelings toward her. Aelita wanted to do the opposite, to proudly say that she _did _love him, but instead often found herself blushing and stuttering as she stared at the floor.

Star opened her mouth to answer, ready to explain what had happened. Then she stopped, knowing that it would probably evolve into a large conversation that she'd rather not deal with that late. One question would lead to another, and soon they'd be chatting for an hour or more. Despite being excited, Star was somewhat tired and didn't want to spend the next hour talking.

"I'll tell you in the morning, okay?" she said, allowing her eyes to close. The pitch black darkness was only a little different without the moonlight.

Aelita seemed a little disappointed and maybe even irritated as she looked at Star. She didn't notice.

"You promise you'll tell me tomorrow?"

Star was quiet, then she let out in a whisper, "I promise."

* * *

Finally.

Ulrich's dare will knock your socks off, folks.


End file.
